J. K. Carriere Pinot noir Willamette Valley 08

Wine Advocate 92 points!

Wine Advocate - The 2008 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley is a blend of 7 vineyards aged in 20% new oak. It sports a lovely bouquet of balsam wood, cinnamon, allspice, incense, black cherry and black currant. On the palate it has excellent volume, displays incipient complexity, is densely packed, and has 2-3 years of aging potential. This savory, ripe offering will provide pleasure from 2012 to 2020.

Owner/winemaker Jim Prosser has settled into his brand new winery on Parrett Mountain. He tends to release his wines later than most so that his current vintage is 2007. However, the 2008s are in bottle, and Prosser was kind enough to present them as well. As an aside, to those who might question the longevity of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, Prosser opened a 1999 (the vintage most frequently compared to 2008). Dark ruby in color, it gives up a slightly roasted, already complex perfume of black fruit confiture. Right at its peak with another 10-15 years of life ahead, this is a sneak preview of what you’ll be getting when the better 2008s reach age 10. - Jay Miller

Clean, serious and vibrant, this translucent violet Pinot noir delivers high-tone cherry, pepper and grilled meat on the nose. The palate is sour cherry, fresh raspberry, cherry PEZ and watermelon Jolly Rancher with just a hint of rare grilled steak and white pepper. Insanely mineral with very fine front of mouth tannins, this lip smacker will amp your appetite and ultimately remind you that there is no way to eat enough mountain strawberries. - the winery

2006 Vintage tasting Notes
J.K. Carriere was among my favorite wines from the 2002 vintage. Fast forward to last week, when I had the fortune to taste the 2006 Willamette Valley from JK Carriere. At once rich and balanced, the 06 strutted out of the bottle with gorgeous red fruit, subtle notes of graham and cinnamon, and a velvety smooth mouthfeel. A standout of the 2006 vintage ...I can't wait for another glass. - Jean
J K Carriere Willamette Valley Pinot noir is a ripe, juicy, black fruit driven wine with hints of cherry, vanilla peach, red currant, grilled meat and licorice.

"2006 was the second warmest growing year on record with a good size crop that all came in at once. The given was “ripe” and the challenge was finding balance without succumbing to the dilution of over-cropping or the raisin flavors, and high alcohols, of over-ripeness. We green-dropped a lot of clusters to concentrate flavors and made some of our earliest picking decisions to date to retain acid and elegance. The wines are big, reflective of 2006. They are supple and age-able and elegant, but above all, they are recognizable as classic Pinot noir, from our winery, from our vineyards. We walked the knife-edge and hit our marks".

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